Researching your Great War Ancestors: A brief guide to sources and strategies Kindly provided by Steve McLeish, Professional Genealogist & Historian
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War and recently I have been receiving numerous requests for help in tracing the men and women who took part in this most devastating conflict.
First World War ancestral research can be difficult, but with perseverance and the knowledge of where to find the right sources, one can reap the rewards of making that poignant connection to a lost military ancestor.
This short guide aims to help you discover the main sources available and hopefully help you to find success in this popular area of family history research.
The Raw Materials •
Service Records
Although there are millions of records available which provide details of service personnel during the First World War, one of the key datasets were destroyed in a Luftwaffe raid during the Second World War, when a German bomb hit the War Office repository in September 1940. This building held some of the most detailed sources, including millions of service records.
that one has a 40% chance of finding a surviving service record.
These service records often units served in, contain details a
complete record of an individual soldier’s career, including dates of service, regimental numbers,
of any 6
wounds sustained, disciplinary actions against the soldier and most poignantly, a physical description of the individual.
The surviving service records are held in the National Archives in Kew, but have also been digitised and can be accessed via Ancestry at
www.ancestry.co.uk
• Pension Records
If your ancestor survived the war but was disabled in some way during their service, they may have been awarded a pension. These records survived the German bombing during the Second World War and in many cases contain the same information as an individual’s service record.
The surviving pension records are also held at the National Archives in Kew, but have also been digitised and can be accessed via Ancestry at
www.ancestry.co.uk
• Medal Rolls Index Cards This source is perhaps the most complete in terms of individual names and contains the medal entitlements of nearly five million
service personnel. It is therefore estimated They provide
information in relation to the soldier’s name, rank, Regiment, service number and medals received. In many cases you will also discover the theatre of war served in and the date of entry to this theatre, date of enlistment, date and reason for discharge.
The main drawback to these records is the fact To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e.
the.wire@btinternet.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100